Returning WT bio for Claire al'Windischan - no CC needed

[Elgee]

Basic Information

Your Handle: Claireducky

Full names of WT characters you already own and their status (active/retired/dead): Claire al'Windischan (returning Brown Ajah), Cetaile din Lenaara (returning Gray Ajah), Gianna su Riatin (returning Blue Ajah)

 

 

Character Information

Name (first and last) of this character: Claire al'Windischan

State whether this is a Traditional or a Salidar character: Traditional

Age of this character * (Traditional = 14-19 / Salidar = 20-70): 270 in main timeline

Name of country where this character is from: Born and orphaned in Caemlyn, adopted by a farmer from western Andor.

OP Score: Air 5 | Earth 6 (7) | Fire 5 | Spirit 5 | Water 6 | Strength 27 (28) | Skill 29

Previous Talent I'd like to request back: Aligning the Matrix

 

Appearance

Physical Description: Claire has dark blonde hair. It is usually swept up into a double knot behind her head with various wisps escaping. She receives many compliments on it when she lets it down, as it reaches far below her waist. As she has aged, more grey has crept into her hair. Her eyes are the color of the sea after a heavy storm –gray with a hint of blue and green. Many people have been cowed by those eyes when they turn icy. She has fair skin with a sprinkle of freckles across her cheekbones and nose. Tiny lines at the corners of her eyes crinkle when she smiles.

 

Special Skills: Claire has the Talent of Aligning the Matrix. She has a particular interest in power-wrought artifacts and heartstone, and has been researching those items to attempt to recreate them. OOC, we know that she will never be able to create a ter’angreal herself, as that is a separate Talent. But she can lead the way in research to get there. As create Heartstone is a weave, I had hoped for her to rediscover that knowledge before the Last Battle.

 

Knowledge Weakness: She is very old, and of the Brown Ajah—she knows a little bit about everything. However, she has never been too fond of flora and fauna, so her knowledge of those things is a little weak.

 

Physical Weakness: Again, she is now very old. She cannot move like she used to, though she won’t admit it. She suffered a broken leg at the age of 200. Although she was Healed immediately, she still suffers occasional stiffness in the joint, especially when bad weather is approaching. She has stubbornly kept this secret, and refused to seek treatment for her arthritis.

Personality weakness: Claire is independent to a fault. In the past, this has made her the “black sheep” among the Browns because of her tendency to speak her mind-- no matter the consequences. Now that she is one of the oldest Aes Sedai in the White Tower, her outspoken nature is more tolerated.

 

Personality: Independent to a fault. Will speak passionately about a personal view she holds close, regardless if it is an unpopular view. Enjoys teaching and lecturing. Dislikes reptiles and insects. Like most Browns, she gives the appearance of being scatterbrained, but she has a quick wit and a sharp mind beneath it all. Deeply despises Darkfriends and Black Ajah.

 

History

 

Growing Up

Claire’s life started out in the worst possible way. Her mother gave birth in a stable behind the “Juggled Duck”, an Inn in Caemlyn where she worked as a barmaid. The labor was quick, and Carrina Havaryn soon had a set of twins in her arms. Unfortunately, the new mother suffered massive blood loss after bearing the twin girls into the world. Her strength was gone, and her voice only a whisper. She managed to whisper the names of the girls to the quiet stable boy who had found her there.

 

“This is Arden…” she said, pushing the first girl gently into Nevin’s arms.

 

“and Claire…” she whispered, holding the second girl out to him. A few moments later, the last of her life drained away, and there was only silence in the stable. The silence was quickly broken by the piercing cries of the new twins, who had discovered their voices.

 

The sound startled the stable boy from his thoughts, and he rushed the two mewling girls to Elsinda Marcher, the proprietor of the Juggled Duck. The innkeep cared for the twins during their first month, all the while looking for a suitable family to adopt them.

 

Finally, a home was found for the babes with Hans al’Windischan. He was Elsinda’s cousin, and had stopped to visit her on his way back to his farm south of Baerlon. He had no other children or even a wife, but Elsinda knew the girls would bring joy to his life.

 

The girls grew up strong and quick in the fields between Baerlon and Taren Ferry. They charmed all the travelers who passed by the farm, and doted on their loving father. But as time went on, the twins became troubled by dreams. Claire and Arden began to dream of their mother. She would sing to them, hold them and talk to them. When they were 16, Claire and Arden dreamt of their mother telling them to journey to Tar Valon, to seek the White Tower.

 

This dream caused quite an argument between the girls, who normally agreed on everything. Claire heeded her mother’s instructions, and travelled to the city of Aes Sedai. Arden chose instead to stay with their father.

 

Early Years In The Tower

After arriving in Tar Valon, the Aes Sedai found that she had the spark to channel, and Claire was admitted as a Novice. She was neither particularly quick or slow in her studies, spending five years as Novice and six as Accepted. Claire was raised Aes Sedai at the age of 27. She petitioned to and was accepted by the Brown Ajah.

 

She spent much of her years studying ter’angreal and other objects of the power. At one early point in her career, she left the Tower, chasing rumors of ter’angreal being found in far off lands. When she returned, she had several new ter’angreal (and several new Novices) in tow.

 

A Sitter For The Brown

After returning from this trip, Claire assumed a chair in the Hall of the Tower as a Sitter for the Brown. She held this chair for 80 years, frequently going her own way in decisions and votes – to the chagrin of her Ajah Head.

 

After the Namandar expedition (and disaster) during Karana’s reign, Claire and Kit Sedai of the Brown had many ter’angreal to study. It was at this time Claire began her study of Cuendillar. She was particularly interested in its properties and construction. During this time, she discovered her Talent of Aligning the Matrix. Claire feels she is on the verge of a breakthrough with the Heartstone, although she has not found the key to its creation yet. She began to compile a volume on her research with these objects: Ter'angreal: Objects Lost in Time.

 

Claire managed to dodge being called down too harshly for her outspokenness, at least until the raising of Lanfir as Amyrlin. In a speech that Sitters still are talking about, Claire tried to call down the young Blue Sitter Espara. Espara had been attempting to place herself at the Amyrlin’s right hand. These events were during a major rift between the Ajahs, and Claire saw through Espara’s attempt to gain undue influence for the Blues.

 

Standing against all tradition and even her own Ajah’s view, Claire stood and spoke passionately in support of creating a council of sisters from all Ajahs to approach and advise the new Amyrlin. In her view, all the Ajahs must be united with the threat of the Last Battle on the horizon. Unfortunately, the other Ajahs were too engrossed in their petty differences for Claire’s voice to be heeded. Discouraged, Claire resigned her seat in the Hall and immersed herself in her studies.

 

A Dark Chapter

At the age of 150, Claire left the Tower once again at the insistence of a letter from her twin sister. Even though she was also an inborn channeler, Arden had never joined the Tower. Claire did not approve of course, but she still loved her sister, wilder or not. In the letter, Arden claimed that she was being watched, followed, and that she’d even seen a Fade in the shadows of her barn. Fearing her sister was in trouble or going insane, Claire traveled to northern Arad Doman, where her twin had been living since their father died.

 

She stayed with Arden and her family for a month, and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Arden seemed increasingly paranoid, and Claire feared her sister was losing her mind. One day, Claire rode a few miles to speak to some neighbors about what Arden had been seeing. As she expected, the other residents had not seen nor heard anything odd. They did mention that a few women had disappeared in the surrounding community recently. She thanked them for their time and headed back to Arden’s home.

 

As she approached, the hair on her arms suddenly stood on end. She could sense Shadowspawn, and they were close. She heard screams from the interior of the house. Resisting the urge to go charging inside alone, Claire masked her ability in case there was a Fade and crept up to a window. The home was a scene of carnage-- Arden’s family had been killed. Gore covered the floor and walls, and Arden was tied to a chair, surrounded by dreadlords. There were 13 of them, and 13 Fades. As Claire watched with horror, she felt saidar being used while her sister was turned to serve the Dark. After the turning was over, Claire heard the voice, so like her own, speak the oaths pledging herself to the Dark One forever. Silently sobbing, Claire fled—she knew that she would suffer the same fate if they caught her outside the house.

 

The Hunt

She returned to the Tower, very disturbed by what had happened to her sister. She knew she had to tell someone about the Turning, so the Tower could be warned. Claire chose to confide in Sirayn Sedai of the Green Ajah. After divulging what had happened to Arden, Claire was brought into the secret search for Black Ajah in the Tower by Lanfir and Sirayn. Claire was rabid in her search for the pestilence in the Tower. The searchers called by Lanfir did not know the identities of the others, and Claire continued her search alone in secret even after Lanfir was killed. She began to compose another book in secret; this one was entitled The Dark One Within. It focused on the potential for evil within us all, and the philosophy of what makes one evil. The more important content was not this philosophy, but the coded information, hidden in phrases of the text, which held her notes on the Black Ajah hunt.

 

Pushed

At the age of 200, Claire decided to take a Warder. She had done well enough without one so far, but after some Aes Sedai died mysteriously in the Tower, Claire decided it was prudent. She approached Cyriel Ramazael, who had been Bonded to Shannadin, a Yellow sister murdered in her own quarters. He agreed to allow Claire to Bond him. Before she could, Claire was pushed down a flight of stairs in the Tower. Who pushed her remains a mystery, but she had to spend a few weeks in recovery from a broken leg. It was practically shattered, and beyond the skill of the Yellows currently in the Tower to heal perfectly. When Claire was able to leave the infirmary again, Cyriel had already left the Tower without a word. He was never seen again.

 

The Bowl of the Winds

In 1000 NE, a dreadful heat wave held the land in its grip. Claire remembered a ter’angreal in the records which was related to weather working. With some research, she discovers a reference to the Bowl of the Winds. The last sister who worked with it was burned out and went home to Ebou Dar. Around the same time, the Bowl falls out of the records. Claire deduces the burned out sister stole the ter’angreal and took it to Ebou Dar with her. Claire promptly goes to Shevara (the Amyrlin) and recommends something be done to recover the bowl. The Amyrlin agrees, and an embassy is formed to head to Ebou Dar with the object of finding the bowl, and making contact with both the Kin and the Sea Folk.

 

For the last 70 years, Claire has been focusing on her ter’angreal research publicly, while continuing to seek the Black Ajah privately. She knows the rot is present in all Ajahs, and she prays something can be done before it goes too deep. She has not taken a chair in the Hall again, although she is starting to feel more pressure to do so from her Ajah. Before she can in good faith accept a Chair, there is one more mission out of the Tower she must complete: to find her sister and bring her back to the Light. She hopes that can be done before the Last Battle. Time is short.

[Elgee]

Talent of Aligning the Matrix was approved.

[claireducky]

Portraits of Claire can be found here and here.